The use of EELS elemental mapping to study precipitation reactions in a stainless maraging steel

Conference item

The precipitation processes in an age-hardenable maraging steel, Sandvik 1RK91, have been investigated using energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy and conventional highresolution imaging and diffraction techniques. It proved possible to use EELS elemental mapping to identify and obtain information on the composition of precipitates as small as 1.5 nm. A number of different precipitate types were identified, including Cu-rich precipitates with the bcc and 9R structures, omega-Fe7Mo2 and eta-Ni-3(Ti, Mo), and the formation sequences of these precipitates during ageing were clarified. Ni-rich precipitates tended to form adjacent to existing Cu-rich precipitates, consistent with an earlier suggestion from atom-probe studies of the same material that Cu-rich precipitates act as nucleation sites for Ni-3(Ti, Mo) precipitates.

Authors: Wang, X; Jenkins, M; Titchmarsh, J

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: ELECTRON MICROSCOPY: ITS ROLE IN MATERIALS SCIENCE
• Pages: 217-227
• Publication date: 2003-01-01
• Event title: Mike Meshi Symposium on Electron Microscopy
• ISBN: 0873395352
• Keywords: 3-DIMENSIONAL ATOM-PROBE; NI; TRANSMISSION ELECTRON-MICROSCOPE; ISOTHERMAL FORMATION; QUASI-CRYSTALLINE; FE-CU